Niigata in One Day: Shibata Castle & Niigata East Port — Guide Kayoko

Title: What Is a Private Rainy-Day Tour of Niigata Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Nikoen, Tsukioka Onsen, and Local Shopping

The guests were a group visiting from North America. They toured the itinerary together in a warm and friendly atmosphere. Unfortunately, the day was marked by heavy rain. Our first stop, the "Ninomiya Residence," is a mansion open to the public only during this season, and its rose garden was wonderful, but the footing was so poor that everyone's shoes got completely soaked, which I felt bad about. However, the guests remained very positive and never showed any displeasure, which was a great relief to me.

At first they mentioned they were not particularly interested in lunch, but partly to take shelter from the rain, we went into a restaurant. Since the menu had photos, they enjoyed the process of choosing their dishes from the start. They happily ate a lot, saying that Niigata's white rice was delicious, which made me glad as well.

At Tsukioka Onsen, they enjoyed a free footbath. However, aside from the footbath, many shops were closed and there was not much to see, so we wrapped up Tsukioka Onsen early and asked the driver to stop by a home improvement store. They were captivated by the many flower seedlings on display. There was also a 100-yen shop inside, and after enjoying a leisurely stroll, they purchased a large number of brush pens. Apparently brush pens are hard to find where they live. (For my part, I was surprised at how well they managed to find the brush pens among so many products.)

Work in Niigata often comes in by email, but since I commute from Tokyo it takes time, and as I always mention, the transportation costs are at my own expense, so I cannot take on very many of these assignments. That said, I have gradually become a familiar face with the local taxi drivers, and we have come to be able to work through the itinerary with a smooth, intuitive understanding of each other. Going forward, even if only little by little, I would like to continue taking on these assignments even while commuting from Tokyo. I look forward to working with you in the future.

Click here for more details: Niigata Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide

Tour Report by KAYOKO

Hello. I’m Kayoko. I’m registered as a National Licensed Guide Interpreter by Tokyo Metropolitan City Government.
I had been living in Yamagata City, 400 kilometers north up to Tokyo for 1 and 3 months, and now just have come back to Tokyo. I really enjoyed living in Yamagata.
My hobby is horse riding and playing some musical instruments such as piano, clarinet, euphonium and tuba.
Thanks to my riding experience, I had a special opportunity to do volunteer works at 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games in the equestrian venue in Tokyo.
I am also a certified kimono instructor and can help you dress in the traditional Japanese kimono.
I’m really looking forward to meeting you.